Camp Calm FAQ

What is Camp Calm?

Camp Calm is a web-based virtual retreat for learning the basics of mindfulness practice.

It’s meant for people who are interested in mindfulness, but who:

1) don’t know where to start

2) have tried to practice mindfulness but find it difficult or confusing

3) have never been able to do it consistently, for whatever reason

Our main practice will be a simple sitting meditation. (You can sit on a cushion, or in a chair, it doesn’t matter.)

The main part of the program is a sequence of 30 short daily lessons, which you begin whenever you’re ready. Each lesson explores a different aspect of mindfulness practice.

We will sit in meditation a little bit every day, for at least a few minutes. (Don’t worry, we’ll show you how!) You’ll also establish a few simple mindful living practices — bringing mindfulness to simple daily actions that are already habitual. Watering the plants mindfully, for example. You can tailor all the practices to your own schedule and preferences.

By the end of the Camp, you’ll have a clearer mind, the ability to meditate on your own, and a first-hand understanding of the calming and clarifying effects of mindfulness practice.

How does it work?

For its first six seasons, Camp Calm was an email-based course, with the 30 daily lessons going out to the Campers’ inboxes, starting on a particular date.

Now, the whole Camp is web-based. You register and gain immediate access to all the material.

The Camp is organized into different sections, each representing a site at the Camp.

You can learn how things work in the Orientation Lodge section, and learn meditation technique in the Meditation Hall section.

Whenever you’re ready, you can begin the 30-day Wilderness Trail portion. And you can come and chat with your fellow Campers (or me, David) at The Campfire.

Most campers complete the Wilderness Trail lessons in 30 consecutive days, but you can do it at your own pace. They don’t take long — total time commitment per day adds up to about 15-20 minutes, split up as you choose, any time of day you like.

Towards the end of camp I’ll encourage you to meditate for longer — it pays off, believe me — but ultimately it’s up to you.

You can read the lessons on any computer, tablet or smartphone, and you can do the practices anywhere you have a place to sit. (A little privacy is helpful though.)

If you have any questions or problems, you can ask about them in the forum, or simply reply to the lesson email and ask me directly. My name is David.

I’ll do anything I can to help your practice, and you can ask me questions even when camp is over.

Why meditate?

Most people come to meditation because they’ve heard it can reduce stress and improve health. These are reasonable expectations, and many people meditate for these reasons alone. But a consistent meditation practice does a lot more than that, as you’ll discover.

Previous Camp Calm attendees have said they’ve noticed their anxiety decreasing, their sleep improving, their decisions becoming easier, and their emotions becoming less difficult to deal with, among many other less-intuitive benefits. Enjoying errands and chores more. Experiencing more confidence. Exercise becoming more appealing.

Primarily, you’ll probably find that it makes life seem to slow down and happen less automatically. Habits become easier to change. It becomes easier to overcome cravings, fulfill your commitments, and find clarity and calm in situations that are uncertain or unsettled. You’ll probably also notice a lot more beauty and poignancy in the world, because you’re not so preoccupied with stressful thoughts.

The benefits are significant and wide-ranging, and accumulate over time as you develop your practice. Camp Calm is designed to make this development as easy and uncomplicated as possible.

Do I need to know how to meditate to do the Camp?

Nope! Camp Calm is no-experience-necessary. You don’t even have to know what the words meditation and mindfulness mean. It will all be explained throughout the course of the camp.

How much does it cost?

Camp Calm is $97 USD.

Is meditation difficult?

No. Well, it takes a little more effort than watching TV, I suppose (but it is a lot more rewarding). Meditation is often presented as something tricky and esoteric, but it sure it doesn’t need to be.

If you can sit, and you can notice things, you can meditate. The practices are simple and short. The key is to do some amount of it on a daily basis, and Camp Calm makes that as simple as it can be.

The hardest part is getting yourself to actually sit down and do it — actually getting your butt to the cushion. Once you’re there, most of the resistance is behind you.